When will New York Yankees star Aaron Judge return to the outfield?
Judge hit a milestone in his injury recovery on Sunday by throwing to bases at Yankee Stadium, his first such activity since sustaining the right elbow flexor strain a month ago.
The reigning American League MVP, limited to designated hitter duties since returning from the injured list on August 5, has no set timeline for resuming his role in right field, with both Judge and manager Aaron Boone deferring to the training staff for updates.
The injury has forced Giancarlo Stanton back into the outfield, a move that Judge has praised his teammate for, given Stanton’s mobility challenges from prior leg injuries. Stanton has excelled offensively of late, posting a .317 average and 16 home runs since July.
When asked about Judge, Boone stressed caution.
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“The bottom line is we want to do this the right way,” Boone said, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo.
“And as much as he wants to be out there and we want him out there, we’ve got to make sure we want to do everything possible to put ourselves in the best position to not reinjure this.”
Though Judge’s batting average is .218 since his return, he maintains the injury hasn’t affected his hitting. During Sunday’s throwing session, he reached 150 feet.
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The Yankees are focused on Judge’s long-term health, but they are also fighting to stay afloat, and their captain is desperate to get back to full strength.
After dropping three of four to the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, the Yankees enter Monday a half-game back of Boston for the top spot in the AL wild-card race.